"I cannot tell that where will these troops be deployed in Saudi Arabia. But let me assure you, they will remain stationed within the Saudi territory," Dastagir said responding to a question from the former interior minister, and a leading PPP figure Aitzaz Ahsan, who said the troops might be deployed at the Yemen border.

Bilateral security cooperation

Earlier, Pakistan's army insisted that neither the fresh contingent nor the already stationed troops would be deployed outside Saudi Arabia.

"These (new batch) or troops already there will not be employed outside KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). Pak Army maintains bilateral security cooperation with many other GCC / regional countries," said the statement.

Saudi Arabia, which alone hosts 1.9 million Pakistanis, tops the list of countries with highest remittances to Pakistan - over $4.5 billion annually.

Saudi Arabia is also Pakistan's largest regional trading partner, which in 2017 exported goods and services, mainly oil, to the tune of over $5 billion to Pakistan.